ff cleaner.
Goodyear adds this proviso: “If the hole shows evidence of fabric splitting, such an injury cannot be properly repaired using a standard puncture repair procedure. This type of injury must be skived out and repaired as a section (reinforced) repair.” But, while this will maintain the serviceability of the tire, it will also invalidate its speed rating.
Voiding the Rating
Turning to Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire (BFNAT), the story is decidedly different. While speed-rated tires may be repaired, says the company, these tires automatically lose their speed ratings. This applies to all Bridgestone, Firestone and Dayton brand tires.
Further, the company says, an improper repair can damage the tire and void the warranty. All that being said, BFNAT pretty much follows what Michelin and Goodyear say about speed-rated tire repair.
“We’re not saying these tires cannot be repaired,” says the Nashville-based company, “we’re just saying they lose their speed ratings.” Here are a few cautions listed by the company:
“Never use an inner tube as a substitute for a proper repair. The maximum number of nail-hole repairs is limited to two per tire, and these must be separated by at least 15 inches. No more than one cord per radial ply can be damaged, and no section repairs are allowed.”
Cooper Tire in Findlay, Ohio, has precisely the same speed-rated tire repair policy as BFNAT. “If one of our speed-rated tires is repaired, it loses its speed rating,” says a company spokesperson. “The tire is still serviceable, as far as everyday driving is concerned, but only up to 85 mph.”
Still, questions remain. Should the driver of a family sedan equipped with H-rated tires have a punctured tire repaired?
As a household budget matter, sure. If the puncture falls within accepted tire repair guidelines, it would be foolish to push the customer into a new tire. It is also unlikely that driver will exceed or even meet the tire’s speed rating, given the speed limits in the U.S.
Keep in mind, also, that customer is accustomed to the performance provided by a car that has been tuned to the abilities of speed-rated tires. If you don’t believe it, yank the V-rated tires from a Pontiac Bonneville SSEi and replace them with S-rated tires. The owner will be back before the car goesone mile.
The Swiss-Cheese Tire
Now, what about multiple or co-locational punctures? What about the box of nails that falls off the back of a truck, and your customer wants all 20 nails holes repaired?
Don’t do it. Why? Because it doesn’t make any sense (ask your lawyer). Put on a new tire and forget about it. If the customer insists on a repair job, either educate him or her using all the facts you have (the right thing) or send him or her away (the wrong thing).
But, what if there are only two punctures in that tire, and they are 180 apart? Off the record, some tire companies agreed that, as long as those injuries are far enough apart (say 15 inches), they can be safely repaired, and the tire remains completely serviceable.
One tire company said it is about ready to give the go-ahead to multiple, proper repairs of speed-rated tires that would still maintain their speed ratings.
Taking that a step further, one engineer said he would be comfortable with four properly completed repairs – one in each quarter of the tire. But on the record, all remain officially in agreement that the motorist must be told that multiple injuries mean a tire automatically loses its speed-rating status.
Does that mean you will ultimately get the go-ahead from a tiremaker to repair that many punctures and still maintain the speed rating? It’s too early to tell, but testing continues. Further, an RMA subcommittee will soon readdress the matter of standardizing speed-rated tire repair.
One last thought: Never give an uneducated tire technician the go-ahead to repair a speed-rated tire. Put your best tech on the job, and stand by your work. It’s the right thing to do.
